Mayor Mitch Landrieu
long has been known as a detail guy, an in-the-weeds executive who
often jumps into policy discussions to clarify even the smallest aspect
of city business.

The mayor did it again Thursday, offering his
two cents' worth on a topic that residents perhaps would not expect to
be his bailiwick: Army Corps of Engineers policy.

During a City Hall briefing about the rising Mississippi River,
Lt. Col. Mark Jernigan of the corps was asked why his agency released
maps showing projected eye-popping flood levels in the New Orleans area
if the Morganza Floodway isn't opened -- while at the same time
suggesting strongly that the waterway won't stay closed.

"As an
engineer, we're expected to look at all possible contingencies,"
Jernigan said, adding that the corps doesn't "plan to deviate from how
we manage and operate the system," a plan that calls for the spillway to
be opened when the volume of water in the river reaches a specified
level.

Apparently not satisfied with the answer, Landrieu took the microphone.

"I
can just add one more thing to that," he said. "Whenever we're planning
for a security threat, we always look at as many different models as we
can: If this happens, then what? If this doesn't happen, then what?
Those models, or the fact that people are aware of them, are no
indication at the end of the day what the decision will be."

Landrieu
stressed that "good data" will be key to all decisions about the rising
river, and in making the point, he seized the chance to rib the local
press corps, one outlet in particular.

"Sometimes the public can
get panicked because of things that they read in the paper -- not that
the media would ever overexaggerate anything ... especially WDSU," he
said, referring to the local NBC affiliate.

As the roomful of
reporters erupted in laughter and jeers, Landrieu quickly backpedaled:
"I'm teasing. I'm just teasing, just teasing."